COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FACTORS

FOR INNOVATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION

By Dimce Nikolov Consultant UNDESA/DPADM July-August 2005

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ABSTRACT

This paper is based on findings of the innovation in governance and public administration in the Euro-Mediterranean region, prepared by national and international experts as part of the Project on Innovation in Public Administration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, presented during the meetings on best practices and innovation in public administration, recently held in Tunisia1. This paper will first highlight some new thoughts on defining innovation, and different innovation terms like: dissemination; diffusion; applicability; adoption; transferability; and replication. After an analytical approach to the experts innovations, attention is drawn to various aspects of the case studies, and best practice innovations in the region; their main characteristics; enabling environment; tangible results; transferability, etc. The main objective of this paper is to underline the role of the enabling environment factors, through the presentation of best practices in public sector in the Euro-Mediterranean countries. It also focuses on the issue of innovation transferability, and how successful innovation as a product, could be a benefit not only for the citizens in the particular country, but also to other countries, if it is adaptable and applicable.

1. INTRODUCTION

Administrative innovation is a process of mobilization of governance system and improvements in the countrys public sector. Governance and innovations in the public sector for most of the countries including the Euro-Mediterranean states, is a relatively new challenge. It is also a challenge both for scholars and practitioners. Considerable attention and research has been directed toward developing a more complete understanding of technological innovation, and limited research has focused on the understanding and adoption of administrative innovation. In these introductory remarks, it might be useful to underline Pat Griffits division on innovation in government into innovation about what, and innovation about how. Innovation about what, or policy innovation, usually involves a congruence of the right people and the right political environment. Innovation about how, seeks to find a more effective or efficient means to accomplish policy objectives which have already been agreed to. Such innovation will often be more or less acceptable within the constraints of not requiring too much in the way of up front investment, not increasing levels of risk, and not being excessively controversial. The best innovation is a low cost, low risk, new approach to an objective which is universally agreed to be worthwile. The number of countries from the Euro-Mediterranean region which have developed innovations in their governance systems is limited. On the other hand, there are differences in the political, economic, social and other developments in the three sub-regions (North Africa, Middle East and the Balkans), including different concepts of administrative systems and cultures. All this should be taken into consideration as an important factor in introducing and implementing the innovations in each state. Successful innovation in the public sector in one of these countries could be of great importance for other countries in the region in particular in the sub-region (for example the one-stop-shop innovation becomes a useful and applicable tool in western Balkan countries). Sharing innovation experiences among the countries in the region could help the governments of these countries to adopt or adapt some of the innovations to improve their governance.

1 Ad-hoc Expert Meeting on Approaches and Methodologies for the Assessment and Transfer of best Practices in Governance and Public Administration, held from 13 to 14 June 2005 in Tunisia, as well as the Meeting on Sharing of Best Practices and Innovation in Governance and Public Administration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, held 15-17 June 2005 in Tunisia.

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2. SOME NEW APPROACHES ON BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC SECTOR

2.1 The innovative cases and practices in governance and public administration in different regions in the world2 can be useful experience also for the countries from Euro-Mediterranean region in their efforts to share best practices and innovations. Although most of the definitions of innovation emphasize the aspect of newness, it does not necessarily means new product. Although innovation as a product is more difficult to measure in the public sector, the most important criteria must be how successful it is. An example of a successful innovation product which can be as a good one for many years ahead, is a Brazilian innovative programme, which was created ten years ago3. Entitled "Programme Management and Citizenship Programme", it aims to give awards for innovations in public administration and public policies, and is focused on the sub-national governments in Brazil4.This is very Brazilian experience, and it indicates an important shift of innovation from central government to the municipal level of government and in public administration at the local level (since the 80s). The innovations are taking place in municipalities of different sizes, in different regions of the country and in different sectors. The Programme Management and Citizenship Programme has a data bank with almost 10000 innovative programs in different sectors (health, education, children and youth, public security, gender, local development, poverty alleviation, environment, etc.), which comes from different regions of the country. These experiences, from which 180 have received awards, obviously bring positive lessons to be learned. The innovation process in Brazil has a long history, going back to the first decades of the XX century, followed by the recent innovation period in the last decades. It is also interesting to note that this latest movement of innovation in Brazil, has been stimulated by two main factors: (a) the democratization process (introduced in the 80s after two decades of dictatorship), linked in Brazil to decentralization, followed by innovations on public policies and programs, and (b) the fiscal crisis, which affected the capacity of the state to give effective answers to demands from the society, especially on social policies. Similar trends and analysis, based on the relation between innovation and the role of the state/government, can be find in other countries in Latin America, even in other regions (M.F.S. Farah5). 2.2 I.Patel6, defines innovation as a concept which can be used to facilitate improvement and change, underlining at the same time that there is a benefit to defining innovation in variable ways. Since what is understood by innovation is dependent on perception, a shifting definition can create an environment and incentives to continually raise the bar on what constitutes innovation. Not only should the definition be based on the purpose for which it is being used, but definitions may also differ for the same activity in two different settings (for example, an innovation award programme in a country that has an established awards programme would have a stricter definition of innovation as opposed to a country in transition where innovation awards programme are just being implemented). In the work of the South African Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI), four types of innovation have been identified: (a) innovations in service delivery; (b) innovations in citizen engagement and democracy; (c) innovations in 2 In this section there are presented some considerations based on the papers prepared for the Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Approaches and methodologies for the assessment and transfer of best practices in governance and public administration, held in Tunisia 13-14 June 2005 3 Some writers, including J. Galimberti, argue that successful government practices can be only the best practices that have evolved over a long period of time and continue to evolve adjusting to changing situations and contexts as opposed to an innovation which is a new practice or experience 4 The Unitarian or federal system of governance plays an important role in innovation processes. For the federal states, as it is the case of Brazil, sub-regional component inspires and motivates innovators to a different approach. 5 Marta Ferreira Santos Farah, Co-director of the Brazilian Public Management and Citizenship Programme 6 Imraan Patel, Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI), S.Africa

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government processes (planning frameworks, budgeting, etc); and (d) innovative arrangements to reach a certain goal (for example, unique public-private partnership or public-community partnership). 2.3 Transferability, dissemination and diffusion of innovations should be discussed as a concept in best practice and innovation, because this conceptualization affects the understanding about the dissemination or diffusion process (Farah). The concept of best practice came to the governance, from the management literature, particularly from the quality management literature. One of the most important components of the concept of best practice is the idea of a model, which can be replicated in different context. In this sense the concept of best practice has the idea of an innovation as a complete and integrated solution, which implicitly prescribes a specific and unique way of responding to a challenge or problem. Also, according to Farah, for spread of innovation, the term dissemination suits better than the term replication. There is a central-periphery approach, the innovation going from a creative center to other places. Replication suggests the reproduction of a model, and the term dissemination suggests a more horizontal perspective. The innovation-dissemination approach gives a more active role to the countries or localities that decide to search for a solution for their problems. Transferability of an innovation is related to the problem addressed. If the problem addressed by the innovation is present in other country, the innovation has the potential to be useful to this new location. It is also important to consider the innovation in its relation to the public policy agenda in different countries. If the problems addressed by the innovation as well as the way it addresses them are convergent with the public policies agenda in the countries to which the innovation should potentially be disseminated, it has a chance of being chosen by those involved in the process of public policies formulation and implementation (Farah). Finally, transferability in governance is a term related not necessarily to the innovation and best practices only but also governance institutions. In the early 90s the worldwide democratization process was accompanied by an ambitious programme of transfer of governance institutions in both the developing and transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The most explicit case is the political conditionality of the European Union requiring transitional countries to introduce specific governance institutions, including both an Ombudsman and an anti-corruption body (Adamolekun7). 2.4 Innovation requires processes of adaptation, anticipation and openness to change. In order to replicate a best practice one of the pre-conditions is that the government who is implementing the best practice, has the necessary capacity to do so (Klingner). This is one of the crucial factors for successful implementation and adaptation of innovation from one country to another. Other factors include: support from the leadership of the recipient country; critical level of government capacity; efficient public administration sector; adequate funding; appropriate innovation transfer; right government policy; well trained personnel; adequate programme of implementation techniques etc. Nevertheless, it should be noted that successful innovation diffusion and adoption, even under favourable circumstances, usually takes a year, and often decades (Klingner8). Circumstances relate to different environmental factors, including political, economic, and social, but also how developed are the public service delivery mechanisms etc. Finally, government innovation is implemented within complex social and economic systems (I.Patel). 2.5 One of the important elements in defining how successful the innovation is, is its measurability. In the business world, the technological innovations can be clearly measured, as well as their performance. But in the public sector, innovation is difficult to be measured or quantified as accurately. Diffusion and adoption of smart practice innovations in governance, public policy and public administration depend

7 Ladipo Adamolekun, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria 8 Donald E.Klingner: Absorbing and Implementing a best Practice: Issues of Local Capacity and Sustainability (paper prepared for the Ad-Hoc Expert Group Meeting in Tunisia, 13-14 June 2005)

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on a clear understanding of the mechanisms involved in technology transfer, and the contextual variables that affect its successful implementation (Klingner). 2.6 Using the experiences of others in innovation is one of the important factors both for innovations in non public sector and in governance and public administration. Exploring this issue, I.Patel notes that there are several ways in which an established innovation or good practice may be of value for others (organizations or countries), including three that are of particular significance. They are: (1) learning, where recipient organization intends using an experience must have a good sense of the nature of the problem to which they seek a solution; (2) benchmarking, which is more a case of a country or agency looking at what they have in place or are implementing and compare this with another established practices (the benchmarking is mainly at the level of results or outputs and focuses on how the innovation has managed to achieve this), and (3) replication, if a country has taken the decision to replicate, this implies that a number of preliminary steps have been fulfilled (this included assessing the context, understanding the nature of the innovation and its suitability for the concerned country). A key factor in assessing how an innovation can be used is the risk involved in implementing the innovation and the alignment between the originating and receiving organizations or countries. 3. CASE STUDIES ON BEST PRACTICE AND INNOVATIONS IN GOVERNANCE IN PUBLIC

ADMINISTRATION IN THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION9 3.1 ALBANIA Case I: Improving Service Delivery in Local Government Case II: Improving Service Quality in Education The Albanian best practice example consists of two similar cases on improving quality in services - a process that started in Albania. One is the project-innovations in local government units in Albania, and the other one is the project-innovation on improving service quality in education. Both projects used Performance Management as a technique and tool. Case I: Improving Service Delivery in Local Government The project aim is to identify weak services and make and implement plans to improve them and to establish a system of performance indicators. A special feature of the project has also been the development of model action plans for specific sectors (roads, garbage and cleaning, water provision, and social services). It is funded by the USAID, and implemented in ten local government municipalities. What are the main features of this project-innovation?

9 This section will review the main features of the best practice examples presented by the national experts from the Euro-Mediterranean region, who participated at the Meeting on Sharing of Best Practices and Innovation in Governance and Public Administration in the Mediterranean Region, held in Tunisia, 15-17 June 2005

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The innovation has been introduced to improve the service performance and particularly service delivery in ten local government units in Albania, following the expert's conclusion that service performance in the country has been poor, in spite of the ambitious governmental efforts during a period of several years to improve them. Service delivery in Albania is still weak. Local government data, which different departments save, do not provide the elected officials and even less the citizens with information on what are the conditions of the public services is and the value the citizens are getting. This element has been missed in the management plan, which is an important indicator of the good/bad performance.

The main characteristics of this innovation are the following:

Responding citizens priorities and providing services that best meet citizens' needs and expectations;

Identifying weak services and making and implementing plans to improve them and to establish a system of performance indicators in order to valuate progress in improving municipal services;

Developing a model action plans for specific sectors: roads, garbage and cleaning, water provision, and social services - one service for each city;

Conducting a citizen survey in all ten local entities, in order to ascertain the views of citizens about the quality of services they are receiving.

The enabling environment for this innovation is the process of decentralization which should enable local communities and cities to better manage service delivery by offering full administrative, service, investment and other national and local regulation, as well as efficient delivery methods, including the private sector. In that regard, performance management could be a useful tool to help local governments keep track of the quality of the services they provide10. The local authorities should be able to adopt a variety of management alternatives, and enable competition, involving private firms and NGOs as service providers

The stakeholders involved in designing, implementing and assessing the project-innovation are first of all the citizens, as well as the local government authorities, public administration employees, and community members in the selected cities, in co-operation with the experts from the Urban Research Institute, which implemented the project.

The tangible results of the project-innovation are as follows:

Identification of actions in realizing the targets for improvement, development the budget and measurement of the results;

Feedback on street lighting and parks/green areas (the case of the City of Podgradec). The results revealed room for improvement in many areas.

The challenges and difficulties encountered. The implementation of the project would not be possible without the support of the responsible government institutions, and especially the support and the readiness of the local authorities to participate fully in this project. The local authorities offered and gave their support, and they took part in the work of the Working Group, established to study the problem and in implementation of the Service Improvement Action Plans (SIAP) The project is not an isolated reform effort - it is part of the public administration reform activities in Albania that intend to create a modern, independent and efficient public administration. Improving 10 It is to be noted that the implementation of performance management systems in local governments is already well known in Eastern Europe. Similar projects have been carried out by the Urban Institute with USAID funding in Hungary (1996-1999), and Georgia (2001-ongoing)

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delivery of public services is one of the main priorities of the reform. The others include: strengthening the law enforcement institutions and policy development capacities; improving democratic governance; introducing measures to cope with poverty alleviation, and to facilitate the participation of the disadvantaged social groups in decision making. The project is also a part of the assistance of the international community, NGOs and other bilateral donors which play a particularly important role in supporting the countrys efforts to implement public administration reform The adaptability of this project-innovation could be of interest to some other countries in the sub-region of the western Balkans, since most of them are faced with the problem of improving service delivery, particularly in local government entities (counties; municipalities etc.). Offering local government authorities information on how to improve the quality of services that are of everyday importance to the citizens: like cleaning and solid waste collection, maintenance of green areas and management of public lighting, could be also of common interest not only for the Balkan sub-region, but also to other countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Although the method used in this project is based on a standard survey as a tool, it could be efficient. Case II: Improving Service Quality in Education This project is based on the finding that the education is a priority sector in the Albanian General Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) framework. It is not only due to its specific role for increasing opportunities for the poor and its role as a main factor for development, but also because of the considerable decline of the education indicators during the last ten years and the slow pace of the reforms of this sector. This pilot-project started in 2003 in seven municipalities in Albania, and its aim is to help them rate the education facilities according to the new technique of Trained Observer Rating. The project started at a time that favored the participation for both local and central government, as well parents, students, and teachers. The City of Podgradec was one of selected cities. What are the main features of this project-innovation? The project-innovation was introduced within the general idea of helping the citizens improve service quality in operation and maintenance of pre-university education facilities. The final goal is that after the project team finalizes rating of the all elements in any of the pre-education facilities where local government has authority over maintenance and operational cost, to take the best decision in terms of funds to be added or reallocated. The main characteristics of this project-innovation

The municipalities can decide by themselves of the level of funding that they will allocate to the education function or to the pre-university schools facilities from unconditional grants from the state budget and any other resources available in its budget.

Although the Ministry of Education prepares and issues minimum standards of safety and health applicable to pre-university education facilities, these standards must not limit decision making of communes and municipalities in areas of clear local interest. Local governments today have primary responsibility for health and safety of school buildings, but standards on health and safety need to be defined with input on issues of clear local interest from stakeholders teachers, students, and parents.

The main features of the enabling environment (See main features of the enabling environment for the Case I)

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The tangible results of this project- innovation The project detected and prioritized the most critical areas of the school building that should be

repaired. Working group (representing the four stakeholder groups) played an important role. It reviewed

ratings and costs to agree on final priorities, and two lists were to be developed: improvements to be made with municipal/parent funds and improvements to be made with Ministry funds. Municipality staff had prepared cost estimates for each problem. Cost estimates than, were converted (to the extend it was possible) similar to elements and field of problems order of rating forms. As a result, it was possible to calculate separately costs for eliminating all conditions, versus elimination of hazardous conditions. In 2004, the municipality of Pogradec had planned the exact amount of financial resources for spending for school maintenance out of their own revenues, including both unconditional transfer and revenues generated by their local resources. While the municipal budget was very limited in addressing needs they have for the sector, regionally based Education Department of the ministry had also allocated a certain amount of money to address the priority, and when it was presented for funding to the mayor/Council (agreeing first with the municipal education sector head and education directorate), the request was approved.

The pilot-project was extended to nine schools in Podgradec, and to other six cities and communes in Albania.

The main steps in the process of implementation of the innovation The project-innovation went through the following main steps:

Establishment of the Working group, which consisted of ten members (from City education sector, Education office, school administration and teachers, parents and students);

Preparation phase (training and work plan design; defining the rating system etc.); Identification of the most important aspects of physical conditions of the school (using the trained

observer system); Full range documentation of conditions throughout the areas of responsibility (photographs

describing the conditions of different parts of the school); Selection of representative photographs and development of measurement guidelines

(photographs selection); Testing the photographic categories and guidelines, documentation of the rating scales (to make

sure that they produce consistent ratings); Develop and document procedures for ratings; ratings (candidates were teachers and parents,

chosen to reliable, capable of sustained motivations etc.) Identify funds/volunteer labor necessary for improvements.

The project-innovation is not an isolated reform effort (See the Case I) The adaptability of this project-innovation The project could be of interest for other countries in the region, since most of them are faced with the problem of improving service delivery in local government. Offering local government authorities information on how to obtain appropriate amount of funds to repair and maintain the school buildings, could be also of common interest not only for the Balkan sub-region, but also to other countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region. In that regard, the new technique - Trained Observer Rating is a very appropriate one.

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3.2 ALGERIA The Reform of Public Administration in Algeria: Challenges and Constraints Algerian best practice experience is dedicated to the reform of the public health, as part of the administrative reform. The reform of the public Health sector aims to improve: 1) resource management through the introduction of strong management and information systems; 2) the quality of services by raising professional skills of public health sector personnel through stronger pre- and in-service training, and strengthening professional communication between health personnel at different levels; 3) the utilization of project area facilities through upgrading of their diagnostic and emergency handling capabilities and rehabilitation of basic systems such as electricity and water supply; and 4) strategic planning and management in the Ministry of Public Health . The basic problem still facing administrative reform today is to assess whether the needs of citizens are best satisfied by adopting new public management approaches, including outsourcing, decentralization, public-private partnership and the introduction of efficient and transparent mechanisms, to replace the instruments traditionally used by the administration. 3.3 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA The Establishment of the Civil Service Agency The best practice from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is a study on the establishment of the Civil Service Agency and introducing novelties in human resources management in public administration in B&H. The paper prepared by the Civil Service Agency also analyzes in depth the country's public administration reform and the need for radical change. The aim of this study is to draw attention on the main difficulties and challenges in the public administration in B&H during the period of last two decades, with emphasis on the human resources and demands for radical changes. The Civil Service Agency intended to keep civil service management out of political interference. It is also in line with the administrative culture in continental Europe. The central management capacity for the civil service is carried out at the centre of government or by a ministry. What are the main features of this project-innovation? The innovation was introduced due to the non-existence of adequate institutions of public administration in B&H, and inefficient public service delivery. In particular, there was a need for change in human resources management and legislation. The innovation was initiated by the voices demanding fast and radical changes in public administration, coming both from the citizens of BH and the representatives of the international community in the late 90s. The main characteristics of this novelty

Growing pressure to change the old civil service regulation (the adoption of the Law was even a requirement by the Road Map of the European Union for BH, and it became an obligation for B&H to meet guidelines of the European Union);

Institutional improvements - creation of the Civil Service Agency with the aim to increase the capacity of the civil servant

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The enabling environment During the period of last few decades, public administration had faced constant demands for radical changes. They included not only the need for its modernization, but also for a comprehensive decentralization of governmental management. The reforms that were implemented in last two decades, changed significantly the role of public administration and the behaviour of civil servants. Under pressure, public administration had no alternative, but to start with radical changes in the behaviour of the civil servants. Nevertheless, human resources management which is relatively new concept within the public administration, as well as the establishment of the Civil Service Agency, was possible only after the creation of the new environment in the legal sphere, and the adoption of the Law on Civil Service. It became a legal ground for selection, management and clearly defined rights, obligations and benefits of the civil servants, as a condition sine qua non in setting a solid ground for any further steps. It was also possible, under the understanding that the civil service management should be kept out of political interference, and in line with the administrative culture in continental Europe. The tangible results

The creation of the Agency has enabled a general strengthening of the pubic administration, and in particular it introduced positive changes in the status and the behaviour of the civil servants.

The establishment of the Agency also strengthened human resource management and offered new opportunities for further successful implementation of the administrative reform, as a whole.

The introduction of the Law on Civil Service in the institutions of B&H, with all innovations in human resources management that it introduced, will remain as a benchmark in the process of reforming public administration, in spite of all the difficulties in its implementation.

The novelty encountered different challenges and obstacles

There was a general resistance to the changes in public administration, and particularly in the area of human resources;

Legacy of the old political system, which left a mark on the public administration; Complicated constitutional organizational structure, which is also very fragmented compared to

the size, population and economic power of the country; The problem of corruption which is also present in the public administration; Lack of knowledge, abilities and professional capacities among candidates during the process of

staff recruitment for the Agency; Overly politicized public administration; Lack of transparency, accountability, and efficiency of administrative structure; Lack of know-how, HR experts and lack of interest on HR matters among the civil servants.

This innovation is not an isolated reform effort It is an important element of the overall administrative reform process in the country, and the radical changes that should start with the behaviour of civil servants, as its main representatives. The creation of the new environment in the common institutions, including the Civil Service Agency in spite of negative tendencies, was inevitable. The establishment of the Civil Service Agency is an important step forward for development of human resource management in the institutions, as well as for further implementation of the administrative reform.

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3.4 CROATIA Judges Web Programme A Croatian example of best practice - the Judges Web programme - is aimed at introducing transparency and greater efficiency in the judiciary, and to improving the delivery mechanisms. The innovation has been introduced as a result of the assessment that the lack of information flow, leads to a decrease in citizen confidence in the sphere of judiciary and that it diversely affects access to justice. In collaboration with Croatian judges, law professors, lawyers and law students, the Judges Web Project has created an Internet based legal information infrastructure, to help contribute to the reform of the judiciary, improve the administration of justice and restore public confidence in the courts. The Judges Web is promoting judicial transparency, with a practical approach, by way of public service delivery. It is also important to note that "the donors generous support, and the willingness of the government to accept the Judges web, confirms the significant achievements of this initiative (Komarica & Barasic).

What are the main features of this best practice and innovation? The innovation was introduced after careful consideration of the unsatisfactory situation in the sphere of citizen confidence in the judiciary system in Croatia. This became even more important issue after Croatia submitted the answers to the European Commission questionnaire on the EU membership application. It was introduced at the demand of citizens, legal practitioners and the commercial sector. The main characteristics of the best practice are follows:

It is accessible to all, and is free of charge; It provides various services and information including: on-line searches for any location; all

relevant contact information; hours of operation; internal organization structure and short CVs for the above categories of legal institutions are presented via web pages; published legal decisions, archived by theme, and others;

Provides key information not available elsewhere; Available in two languages - Croatian and English; Is interactive, not static, meeting the changing needs of users; The specific presentation and categorization of information is unique; The technological infrastructure is in place to better resolve the needs of the citizens.

The project-innovation was incorporated within the overall national judicial reform strategy by the Minister of Justice. It has been also institutionalized within the Ministry of Justice in order to preserve and expand the transparency and broadly accessible information it has already introduced. The project has been completed by an NGO and transferred without cost to the Ministry of Justice. Moreover, the Ministry has funds to continue this project once International donor support comes to a close. The enabling environment The base for introducing and implementing this project is the reform of the judicial system in Croatia. Also, the requests for changes imposed by the European Union speeded up the introduction and the implementation of this innovation. Democratically delivered justice requires a number of attributes, i.e. an independent judiciary, concern for the rights of the accused, understanding and adoption of standards of procedural fairness, timely hearings and judicial determinations applied consistently across the country Successful legal reform will clear the way for coercion, bribes, and other non-democratic methods for resolution of disputes. In the long run, it will strengthen economic development of the country, and to attract more foreign investment, as well as the development of a stable democratic society.

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The tangible results of the best practices and the groups have they benefited Direct access to information regarding the operation of courts, database of legal decisions

interpreting various relevant codes of law; Restored confidence in the legal system; Awaken the awareness of citizens regarding the need for transparency, the role of civil society

and their contribution; Equitable justice for minorities in remote areas; Lower the opportunities for short-term gains, arbitrary court decisions and private interests to

prevail (which inevitably leads to corruption and manipulation with the system); Enabled the comparison of all appellate courts decisions. In the future, this will lead to increased

consistency in the legal practice of courts nation wide; Enabled legislative and scholarly bodies to quickly recognize legal questions for which articles of

the law does not provide adequate and precise interpretation; Easy access for all individuals to organized sources of information concerning how to interact

with the legal system; Helping shorten the length of judicial deliberations, by offering judges the ability to easily target

legal reasoning nation-wide, which can offer insight into their particular proceedings; A database of easily searchable court decisions will help decrease the uncertainty inherent in

litigation and execution of court decisions. The database could help discourage individuals or corporations from commencing unnecessary

litigation, by offering information needed to better determine the probability of success; Promote increased transparency in the adjudication process of courts; Offer foreign corporations and investors the ability to view the judicial practice of Croatian

courts. Direct beneficiaries of this innovation are: members of the Legal Community: (Judges, Lawyers, Legal Scholars, Public Notaries); participants in Legal Proceedings (Plaintiffs And Defendants); NGOs operating in the Western Balkans; IDPs and Refugees; minority groups; Civil Society; commercial sector, banks and business Indirect beneficiaries are: the European Union Integration process, and regional stability; the court administration.

The following challenges were encountered in designing and implementing the best practices: Lack of cooperation and understanding from the state officials during the development,

implementation (after five years the ministry has recognized the significance of the project, under the Minister of Justice);

Lack of support in obtaining information needed to fill the database; Judges and other members of the judiciary not willing to have their work made public;

The best practice-programme is not an isolated reform effort This programme has already produced very positive results, sufficient to attract on-going funding for the five years since initial seed money was invested. Furthermore, the recent commitment of the Croatian Ministry of Justice to incorporate the Judges web project into its overall national legal reform strategy, additionally demonstrates the success achieved and guarantees long term sustainability of results This best practice in innovation can be implemented in other countries. The Judges web is a flexible, adaptable infrastructure, promoting the public-administration of justice, suitable for implementation in a variety of legal systems around the Mediterranean region. Nevertheless, there are necessary preconditions to implement this project in other areas of the Mediterranean region can

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be easily meet. The basic elements can be defined as follows: (a) access to internet service providers; (b) cooperation from the courts and judges and minimal involvement of select members within the judiciary; (c) willingness of the relevant government institution to take local ownership of project results; (d) support from the donor community; (e) logistical support from the government institution. If we accept the notion that there is a will to modify the current approach to adjudication, the question that remains is how and at what cost. The question how, can be answered - with the use of modern technology. The costs can be kept relatively low if we utilize the internet to access and disseminate information amongst courts and the legal profession. 3.5 EGYPT This project innovation was introduced to transform the telecom company Telecom Egypt (TE), from state-owned highly regulated enterprise to a customer services oriented one, providing an overall framework for change of public sector enterprises. In transforming TE from non-efficient to an efficient one, TE management introduced several best practices which improved companys performance through their value-creating impact on company's primary activities (or the "On Stage" segment), comprised improving quality of service, pricing strategies, orientations towards servicing the public as customers etc. The examples of improvements in primary activities include speedy delivery, providing prepaid phone cards, Pay Phone, quality telephone lines, reduced waiting lines, mobile services; Internet usage, and offering affordable prices. Introduced best practices also enhanced the value-creating potential of the company's support activities (or the operation of the "Back Stage"), which included improving public service delivery through management, planning and budgeting practices, emphasizing ICT application and development, utilizing better functional and organizational structures, investing in human resources management and development. What are the main features of this project-innovation? The project-innovation was introduced to improve the performance of the 150 years state owned telecom company Telecom Egypt (TE), in order to respond better to public needs. During the 1980s and 1990s, the telecommunication structure was the worst in the region, and millions of people were on the waiting list for telephone lines. In 1998, TE was established as a joint stock company, which monopolized the operation and services of international and national fixed line connectivity in Egypt. Over the last 20 years, the company has undergone radical changes to better meet the challenges of ever changing demands. The main characteristics of this innovation

Separation the service provider from regulator, as well as separation of ownership from management

Usage of different planning practices, such as: goal setting; financial reviews; stakeholder examination; environmental scanning; competitive analysis. Also, operation plans, and observing outcomes, which proved to be related to different organizational performance indicators, as well to organizational effectiveness indicators such as the presence of mission statements, measurements of service satisfaction, employees job evaluations, and financial audits;

Implementation of relevant laws and regulations introduced by the government, as an effort to provide a supportive environment to innovation in governance and public administration; implementation of a growth corporate directional strategy through market diversification; used

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both cost leadership and differentiation business level strategies. The innovation was initiated by the leadership of the company in coordination and the support of the Egyptian government (it is important to note the role of the government as a regulator, and not as a service provider), as well as the President who responded to the challenge in an emerging information and digital-based economy. The main features of the enabling environment The realization of this project has been part within the reform activities undertaken by the government of Egypt in the 1990s, focused on economic and social reforms in order to achieve better economic growth, and lower rates of unemployment. Although in the case of Telecom Egypt, accountability to customers initiated the innovation, it should be noted that without a supportive regulatory change, management commitment, and advanced practices in management planning and human resource management, such transformation could not have happened. The innovation was possible because of the strong government determination on the significant role that ICT play in sustaining socio-economic growth. The government has concentrated on advancing the sectors development by providing a state-of-the-art national telecommunications network, promoting information-based developments, and upgrading human resources. The case of TE as the best practice and innovation has been motivated by seeking improved ways of serving the public sector's customers, and responding to new and changing needs of the private sector. The tangible results of this innovation and the groups that are most benefited.

The most important results have been achieved in organizational performance and effectiveness. The company has dramatically grown its tele-density and subscriber base. The effectiveness indicators could be illustrated also with the revenues which exceeded, represented an increase 15%. Moreover, productivity improved in 5 years (from 2000 to 2005);

Other important results are: reduced waiting time for obtaining a telephone line; better access and service quality; usage of Internet in company's services; increased state budget;

There were positive changes in the company's management. It was restructured by employing a relatively flat organizational structure, to motivate its staff to be more supportive to its transformation process;

The incompetent salary schemes was replaced the old with a new competitive salary and compensation program in efforts to lure new people of high caliber, and to keep them;

The company also introduced a bonus scheme to reward excellent performance, medical coverage for all employees;

The existing early retirement program was supported, and social and cultural programmes were initiated which helped in developing a community atmosphere, sports clubs, nurseries, etc.

The most benefited group is the telecom customers. The challenges encountered in this innovation.

The company struggled to find improved ways of serving better the public sector customers and responding to new and changing needs of the private sector;

The considerable overstaffing of the operation; Poor managerial skills, inadequate approvals, paperwork, and tedious procedures; Absence of a customer service oriented mindset; Low productivity levels and service quality as a result of lack of motivation among employees

due to incompetent salary schemes and human resources policies and practices; The vast geography of the country entails a significant capital spending in rolling out the network

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to reach the demanding targets set by the government; Companys strong exposure to exchange rate movements to foreign currency debt and capital

expenditure The innovation is not an isolated reform effort It is part of the governments efforts to introduce advanced ICT in the development of the country. It is also a part of the implementation of the reforms initiated by the Egyptian government, emphasizing economic and social reforms to achieve better economic growth and to reduce unemployment. It is expected that it will improve the overall telecommunication environment in the country. The innovation could be adaptable to other countries The case provides important lessons for other countries' authorities who are interested in transforming their public sector organizations by identifying those best practices and actions which were accountable for such transformation. However, to effectively implement these best practices, it is important to first understand the objectives of the targeted transformation, stakeholders involved, and the nature of the market involved. Replicating Telecom Egypt's experience in other countries would greatly depend on whether these countries' legal and regulatory frameworks, or overall conditions, would equally and effectively provide the right conditions for such transformation. Only then will implementation of best practices produce the desired outcomes. 3.6 JORDAN Case I: Best Practices in Human Resources- Jordan Institute for Standard & Metrology (JISM) Case II: Best Practices in Service Delivery - Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Department (DVLD) Jordan's expert presented as a best practice example two projects-cases - one of the projects has been implemented by the Jordan Institute for Standard and Metrology (JISM) in the area of human resources, and the other one by the Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Department (DVLD), in service delivery. Both cases were awarded the number one and the number two Awards for Excellence in Public Performance & Transparency. They are part of the countrys firm determination to develop best practices that are result of the implementation of several reforms. These reforms are designed to achieve the national goals, including citizen's interests. Case I: Best practice in human resources: Jordan Institute for Standards & Meteorology (JISM) This example is based on the general understanding that human resources examines the organization's efforts to build and maintain a supportive work environment that encourages excellent performance at both the personal and organizational levels. It assesses how: (a) effectively the organization applies fair and transparent policies and implements reward/compensation schemes to motivate employees; (b) plans workforce supply to meet current and anticipated demand; (c) implements employee training and development programmes that meet organizational needs, and (d) designs and implements programmes that promote employee satisfaction and retention. JISM best practice aims to identify training needs for all job titles based on the organization structure and level of job importance including managers and section heads. Employees participate in attending training courses publicized by various training institutes and centers. Additionally, employees are nominated to participate in training courses based on the annual results of the performance appraisal. What are the main features of this best practice?

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The main characteristics of this innovation are the following opportunities that the JISM offers: Planned and implemented in-house training programmes to qualify the second level of employees

aimed at empowering and upgrading the skills and competences of employees to enhance their performance and prepare them for future and further delegation of authorities;

Citizen centered and results based programme; Adapts a modern human resources system linked with all processes starting from employment,

placement, training, promotion, advancement, and succession. Transparency of all processes to ensure fairness and quality and employees are well aware of their

rights and obligations; Provides opportunities and needs required to acquire higher university education to obtain Master or

PhD degrees, as well as to enhance the employees' competence in English language, IT skills based on e-government programme;

Adapts career planning path, job development path, and training path for each job. All employees participated Training of Trainer programme (ToT) to carry out the in-house training and prepare them to be assessors in quality and environment systems both locally and internationally;

Offers tangible incentives to employee whose performance is graded "excellent" enjoy the payment of an incentive equals to one month salary annual increments based on their level of performance. JSM also adapts the "competitive tests" o select the best employee in leadership, professional, administrative, and supporting jobs;

Encourages the concept of teamwork as an incentive for learning and participating in decision-making process, preparing instructions, and conveying feedback on further needed improvements;

The Institute adapted a new Personal By-law in March 2003. It reviewed the salary grading system based on modifications to the organization chart, job functions, and level of importance and complexity of jobs. Employees who commit a violation are subject to disciplinary actions stated in the "Personnel By-law".

The tangible results are as follows:

High motivated human resources; Equality and objectivity in dealing with the beneficiaries; Better services; Quick and accurate transactions; Better customer satisfaction; Increased contribution in the national economy; High positive reputation in Jordanian standards, meteorology, and accreditation; Exchange, deployment, and inventory of knowledge within the organization and outside; Cutting red-tape in rendering services; Enhancement of channels of cooperation and coordination with external environment systems; Application of IT and e-government initiatives

The direct benefited group of this best practice is the middle-level employees of the Institute, and indirectly the JISM customers. The main features of the enabling environment Best practices in public sector institutions in Jordan are given significant importance by the government. Clear criteria has been established on the vision of what Jordan's government and non-government institutions will increasingly look like as the country achieves its ambitious development goals. Jordan's government considers that the reforms in administration, economy finance, the social sphere, juridical reform and political reform play an important role in good governance and achieving of excellent public performance. Such reforms are of best practices because of different reasons, including the support from the highest level leadership; good

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collaboration between all public institutions; transparency and openness with the public; accountability of performance at all levels; deployment of results to all beneficiaries, stakeholders, and citizens, and others. The innovation is not an isolated reform effort. It is a part of a holistic approach of the Jordan's government to the reform processes in the country, especially those intended to improve good governance and public performance. It is strongly believed that an institutional excellence and governance programme would not be beneficial unless collaborative efforts are incorporated and sense of great demand are deployed and applied. This best practice is also a part of the country's governance programme which has the following main five criteria: leadership; people; processes; knowledge and finances. Each of these criteria is distributed into various factors. This innovation is also a part of the benefits of the King Awards for Excellence, and the King Award for Excellent Performance & Transparency in the Public Sector. This best practice and innovation is easily adaptable to other organizations in other countries. The implementation of this employee training and development programme could meet the needs of many other organizations, since it intends it promote employee satisfaction and retention. It is relatively easy to be implemented and it is attractive for any company or organization that pays attention, first of all to the role of the human resources in achieving better results. Case II: Best practice in service delivery: Drivers Vehicles Licensing Department (DVLD) This best practice is rooted in the DVLD concept that modernization and development of systems and techniques in rendering its services related to licensing drivers and vehicles to reach an advanced level in total quality service. The Department considers that achieving that goal is based on the following DVLD values: creative and supportive leadership; teamwork spirit; rooting the culture of excellence amongst other organizational cultures. It also believes that this innovation will improve the equality, respect, and fairness in rendering services to all. Rendering best services will ensure their satisfaction. Other benefits are: deployment of best ethical standards in dealing with others; carrying out the work activities urgently and accurately; preserving the reputation of the Department and the service honor. What are the main features of this best practice? The main characteristics of the best practice-innovation

The absence of duplication in providing services in all its centers through close application of the issued legislation already distributed to all sections and accordingly any employee cannot exceed or override the stated articles. Additionally, (DVLD) prepare a procedural manual and unified forms, and circulated them to all section involved in service delivery;

Training and qualifying employees to authorize them to carry out the services promptly and accurately, computerize transactions including the fees system;

Establishing licensing sections in all zones and constructing the necessary buildings to cope with the modern developments. Simplify procedures and provide electronic licensing service through the e-government project. Computerize the written driving tests;

Conducting surveys to measure the citizens' satisfaction. Increase the cooperation with related organizations aiming at facilitating services.

The stakeholders involved in implementation of the innovation The government and the relevant ministries; private sector organizations which contribute directly or indirectly through coordination; citizens; clients; schools; NGOs. Related bodies in providing the services to the citizens who-the later- are also considered as partners in the sense they share in presenting suggestions and opinions and feedback which all treated promptly to develop working procedures.

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Local Communities for example: universities, schools, societies which contribute with (DVLD) to enhance the servicing through various methods such as: traffic awareness lectures, studies and researches. The main features of the enabling environment (See the main features of the enabling environment for the Case I) The tangible results and the beneficiaries The following results and impact could be considered as most important: - Qualified and competent workforce to provide efficient services and achieve results; - Increased the quality of servicing; - Better traffic culture amongst people and societal entities; - Achieved shared national goals; Simplified procedures; - Reduced traffic accidents, financial and human-life losses; - Improved behaviors of drivers; Good technical vehicles; - Decreased the percentage of contamination; - Establish awareness and commitment toward the exchange and deployment of knowledge across the employees and citizens. The beneficiaries of the innovation are: Ministry of Health, Greater Amman, Municipalities, General Union of Insurance Companies, Driving training centers, Ministry of Justice, Public Transport Regulatory Commission, Drivers' Trade Union, Income Tax Department., Crime Information Department, Jordanian Traffic Institute, Central Traffic Department, and all citizens. 3.6 LEBANON Municipal Administrative and Financial Reform After long years of civil war, which witnessed a series of economic and financial crises, the government of Lebanon took the initiative to reform the Ministry of Finance (MoF), as an inevitable step towards a broad reform movement. The war left the MoFs administrative and physical infrastructure a wreck. Supported by the Prime Minister, the Ministry launched a reform programme to build an efficient and modern administration that is service-driven offering best possible service to their customers (Lebanese citizens, as well as the predominant private sector and international investors). It is a comprehensive and multi-faceted reform programme and part of a long term vision of structural reforms. The MoF has embraced several modernization initiatives towards creating a modern streamlined administration that is responsive to the needs of the public. In its different departments, the Ministry has been working on providing client-oriented services in an effective and efficient way, and the results of these initiatives have been clearly witnessed. The computerization projects, the restructuring of the internal organization, the speedy processing of transactions, the reduction of bureaucratic procedures, and better communication with the public demonstrate clear commitment and determined efforts by the Ministry towards improvement of public service delivery. What are the main features of this best practice? The best practice example and innovation was introduced

To support the governments reform efforts, launched by the first government of Prime Minister R.Hariri in 1992 (who appointed a Minister devoted to administrative reform, to demonstrate his commitment to the reform issue). The MoF recognized the aforementioned problems and challenges.; Supported by Prime Minister, the MoF launched its reform efforts to build a very lean and efficient

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administration that is service-driven; The innovation is a result of the challenges and government efforts in reconstruction of the country; It is also as a result of the demand and internal and external political and economic pressure

The main characteristics of this best practice- innovation are:

It is a multi-faceted comprehensive reform program, as part of Ministrys long term vision of structural reforms, the facades of the program are to strengthen policy reform and fiscal management, build MoF internal capacity, develop MoF human resources, and promote transparency and dissemination of information;

Policy reform strengthening; Institutional capacity building; Development of human resources; Promotion of transparency, and enhancing data dissemination and disclosure.

The innovation has been initiated by the MoF. Nevertheless, these initiatives required strong endorsement and personal support of the Minister who provides the leadership and vision. These efforts have been supported by the Prime Minister, and the Parliament which also facilitated the Ministrys work. The main features of the enabling environment Introduced in 1993 as a comprehensive reform agenda of the Government of Lebanon, the best initiatives at MoF discussed before fall under following general themes: policy reform, institutional capacity building, transparency and dissemination of valid and reliable information, development of the Ministrys human resources. After the close-out of the Lebanese Civil War, the Government of Lebanon launched its efforts to rebuild the country which was severely destroyed, and rehabilitate the administration which was weak compared to the different forces involved in the internal conflicts. After more than a decade, several public departments were able to overcome the devastating damages of the war; the MoF was a good example. Not only did the Ministry refurbish itself, it took major steps towards a new future, with a focused vision, a strong political support. The tangible results and the benefited groups

Better management of resources through launching automation projects, new impartial recruitment process, and continuous training on new skills and techniques that develop the capabilities of MOF employees and help utilize their time and efforts

Streamlined internal operations and simplified administrative processes that is reflected in more productivity and efficiency

Enhanced operational accountability through division of tasks and clarification of responsibility compared to clear job descriptions and set goals and plans

Close control of possibilities of error and forgery or any corrupt practices Availability of accurate, valid and up-to-date information needed for analysis, studies, preparation

of policies, and decision making Speedy transfer of information and files between different departments preserving data security

and authenticity Speedy delivery of services especially with customs clearance and land and maps affidavits, Reduction in transaction time which saves on the citizens time, efforts, and cost incurred. Increased validity, accuracy, and consistency of MOF assessments and records which enhances

transparency and reflects on more accountability from the side of the administration More accessibility of valid, comprehensive and up-to-date administrative, financial, fiscal, and

trade data, needed by customers to process their transactions or by stakeholders to conduct studies

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and make their own assessments and decisions. The benefited groups of these Ministrys initiatives are: other government agencies and municipalities; the local business community; foreign investors, and the public at large (the main benefited group). Challenges that encountered in designing and the implementation of the innovation

Negative public attitude towards the Lebanese administration in general; General misunderstanding or even a complete lack of awareness about MoF initiatives. Ignorance

of these achievements was a serious obstacle because it outweighs the positive feedback; Corrupt practices from certain politicians and members of civil society; Rehabilitating the wrecked finance administration and transformation the bureaucracy into a

modern entity in a sensitive political milieu such as Lebanons (it was expected that traditional political and sectarian leaders would unify their efforts to obstruct reform);

Unsteady economic situation characterized by a high level of insecurity, an increasing debt, a parallelized infrastructure and a powerless public sector. The need was to minimize all possible risks, slowly work on a gradual reform program, especially in policies and legislation;

Lack of support by the MoF employees to these reform initiatives; MoF initiatives were further constrained from its interrelationships among the other government

entities. The initiatives are not isolated reform effort. On contrary, they are part of the implementation of the overall reform processes in Lebanon, as well as a concrete contribution to establish modern streamlined administration, responsive to the needs of the public. The initiatives could be applicable to other countries The initiative could provoke more awareness of innovative practices in the region, although the characteristics of the Lebanese administration and the social and political environment surrounding, is distinctive from any other country. The relatively liberal political regime, free market economy, the westernized educational and social culture make it easier to adopt a process of modernization in Lebanon. However, although such dynamics might be underdeveloped in other Middle Eastern countries, obstructive factors such as political confrontations, economic instability, and prevalent corruption might be tamed elsewhere. 3.7 MACEDONIA The Implementation of the Ohrid Agreement in the Public Sector: Equitable and Just Representation of Citizens The Macedonian best practice example is about the implementation of the part of the Framework Agreement (so called Ohrid Agreement), that refers to equitable representation of all citizens in the public sector. This process has led to a change in organizational culture, and in public service delivery procedures, related to increased empowerment of community groups related to the issue of equitable representation of all citizens in the Macedonian public administration, taking into consideration the ethnic diversity as one of the main structural challenges the country has faced from the period of escalating the political-security crisis in 2001. The aim of this part of the initiative is to increase the opportunities for citizens to express their needs for better participation in public decision-making, and more significant inclusion of vulnerable groups in the society. What are the main features of this best practice?

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The project-innovation was introduced as a part of the efforts to foster and stabilized the democratic process in the country, after the political and security crisis in 2001. Also, to improve the equitable representation of the minorities in the public administration and public enterprises, as part of the implementation of the Agreement. The main characteristics of this innovation

Improvement of service delivery; To speed up the process of employment of minorities in public administration Achievement of equal representation of minority groups in public administration; Active incorporation of the input of citizens into public decision-making This project delivers services that promote social inclusion of vulnerable groups of the population

The innovation was initiated by the countrys politicians, and the international community. They were at the same time the main stakeholders in the process of creating and the implementation of the Framework Agreement. The main features of the enabling environment Inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia, especially between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians, have been at the centre of the political debate for several years, escalating into a political and security crisis. In the summer of 2001, the country approached the brink of civil war, and after delicate political negotiations the democratic process was stabilized and the Framework Agreement was signed (the so-called Ohrid Agreement). The issue of equitable representation of all citizens in the Macedonian public administration and the respect for diversity is one of the main structural challenges the country has faced during the last few years. During the process of implementation of the Framework Agreement, the Government established specific bodies entrusted with the coordination and monitoring of the improvement of equitable representation of minorities in the public administration and public enterprises. The implementation of the Ohrid Agreement involves transformative changes within the Macedonian legal and social framework, rather than introducing improvements. The tangible results of this project-innovation

This project-innovation has led to increased empowerment of community groups (the percentage of minorities within the public administration has grown by 15 per cent);

It has created opportunities for all citizens to express their needs; The initiative has resulted in a more client-centered service delivery; It has increased the publics ability to observe and scrutinize public processes and decision-making; This initiative has improved citizen access to public records, e.g. by increasing the use of lay language

or the languages of ethnic and other minorities The encountered challenges and obstacles

The general economic difficulties of the country, including the need to reduce, and not increase the number of employees in public administration;

The need to cut expense in the public administration and at the same time to increase the minorities in the public sector;

Problems inherent in the special measures for minority members group; The equitable representation has been considered as the most costly aspect of the reforms contained in

the Ohrid Agreement; The innovation is not an isolated reform effort, it is one of the most important efforts made in creating a positive environment for further implementation of other countrys reforms. The initiative is also a part of the

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efforts to enhance the role of the Albanian community in the public sector. In a long term, this innovation is intended to support the national development goals. The innovation could be best practice example for the countries that have experienced ethnic conflicts, especially regarding the status of the minority population. This could be particularly important for the states from the Balkan region, and the former Yugoslavia, which went through painful process of building democracy and faced with the complicated reform processes. 3.8 MOROCCO Voluntary Departure in the Public Service The Moroccan best practice programme on voluntary departure in the public service represents is an example of the states efforts to stabilize the public salary sector, which over the past years had been constantly increasing (an average of 2,5 per cent to 3 per cent). The objective of the programme of voluntary departure of civil servants is to create an opportunity for those who wish to leave the public sector to capitalize on their experiences. 3.9 PALESTINE The Governorate of Bethlehem as a Case Study in Improving Government Service The Palestinian case of best practice is about the big changes, including in public administration that were introduced in Palestine ten years ago, when a transition from a military rule to a civilian one was effected. It is a case study on the Governorate of Bethlehem, which aimed to improve delivery service. The governorate of Bethlehem is one of thirteen administrative divisions into which the Palestinian territories were divided in 1994 following the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority. The Governorate provides public services for approximately 178,000 people inhabiting 10 towns, 21 villages, 8 rural communities, 3 refugee camps and 1 Bedouin tribe. The purpose of the Governorate of Bethlehem Reform Plan initiated in May 2004, was to make this particular institution a model for other governorates in Palestine. At the end of the project, a ten-question structured questionnaire was administrated to the fifteen employees. What are the main features of this best practice and innovation? The project-innovation was initiated and it coincided with the appointment of the new governor, which coincided with the campaign for reform led by international and regional powers and supported by a majority of the Palestinian people. The new governor seized the opportunity and took the initiative in launching a reform program in consultation with Palestinian experts. The main characteristics of this project-innovation

Improvement of public service delivery; Strengthening the relationship between the governorate and the general public; Enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Institution; Improvement of citizens' access to public officials through "an open door policy"; Promotion of accountability and transparency; Promotion of professionalism and ethical behavior;

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Increasing awareness among employees of the vital role the governorate plays in the life of the local community

The main features of the enabling environment The innovation was introduced during the period of radical and painful political and social changes in Palestine that enabled transition from military rule to a civilian one. There was no sense of continuity and there was little to build on. The public administration system in Palestine has been also marked by drastic changes and challenges, and it left marks both on the structure and the function of the system. This prevailing concept of governance had to be revised to usher in a new regime. The governorate of Bethlehem is one of thirteen governorates that play vital role in the administrative divisions, and represent the central government and wield extensive powers in all aspects of life in the local districts. Without drastic political and other changes, the concept of the reform of the Palestinian institutions would not be possible. The challenges encountered in designing and implementation of the innovation

General challenge was the situation in the public administration system in Palestine, marked by sudden and abrupt changes which left its traces on both the structure and the function of the system;

Lack of administrative structure and the governorate played a minimal role in providing public services;

Lack of expertise in detecting the problems and finding solutions for better service delivery; Ineffective organizational structure; Conservative administrative culture and strong influence of politics on administration; Establishing effective communication between the governorate and the local citizens

The tangible results of this project- innovation

Improved service delivery; A healthier atmosphere has evolved between the governorate officials and the general public-

client groups; The efficiency and effectiveness of the employees have improved; More emphasis has been placed on the issue of accountability and transparency in the work of the

governorate; the citizens of the governorate of Bethlehem now have more access to the governorate officials than before;

Professionalism and competence are now the major criteria used in the selection of applicants to the Agency's positions; there has been a more sharpened awareness among the employees in the governorate regarding the importance of the role that the governorate plays in the lives of local citizens; the citizen-clients feel more empowered by the recent measures taken to improve the work of this vital government institution.

The following steps had been taken in the process of implementation of the project-innovation The reform process started in May 2004 and was divided into three phases: diagnosis, intervention strategy and evaluation. The first phase aimed to identify the problems, using two main tools: (a) intensive interviews with key personnel, especially the governor, his deputy, and the director of the governor, (b) examination of pertinent official documents, laws and regulations available. The intervention strategy was designed to enable a successful implementation of the plan. The project-innovation is not an isolated part of the reform efforts It is an integral part of the efforts to implement reform in the Palestinian public administration in order to fulfill the main objectives of the reform process, including the improvement of public service delivery.

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3.10 SERBIA The Programme of Public Administration innovation in Serbia/The Context of Innovation in Serbia The Serbian best practice example explains the recent history of public administration reform and innovations in Serbia, within the specific political, economic and other circumstances that characterized the development in the country, during the period of 2000-2005. Serbia (with Montenegro) entered the transition period later then other European transition countries, which is the reason why it is forced to go through certain development phases faster. The experiences of other transition countries clearly show that administrative reforms, in comparison with other system reforms, were the most difficult and slowest to carry out. However, the advantage of Serbia can be the very fact that public administration reform is being carried out at the same time with other system reforms. Therefore, its success greatly depends on the appropriate direction of overall reform processes. What are the main features of the administrative reform and innovations in public administration in Serbia? The innovation was introduced because the existing public administration system was inefficient and not well-functioning. As a result, public service delivery was poor. Also, there was lack of experts and experienced personnel, motivated to work in the public administration. The main characteristics of the innovation

It is an efficient and inexpensive public administration reform. It was possible with the introducing and implementing of the following five basic principles; decentralization; depoliticization; professionalization; rationalization, and modernization;

The complete reshaping of the public administration structure and the institutions was made by purposeful radicalism, as the only realistic and feasible programme which includes the choice of selective number of crucial changes (A.Panovski);

The reform has been supported by: citizens; economic organizations and private sector; unions; academies; universities; the media; NGOs and others;

The reform of Serbian public administration is more about changing the system, rather than just corrections.

The enabling environment The improvement of public administration is a constant process in developed countries, but also in transition countries. That process is a result of very dynamic social changes, where the state is changing its role from regulator to provider of public services. The transition in Serbia, as it is the case in each country, is a unique process, since each country has its own transition and the success depends on the development and the ability of the state to adapt itself with the modern trends. Due to the fact that Serbia entered relatively late the transition period, the public administration reform is being carried out at the same time with other system reforms. Therefore, its success greatly depends on appropriate directing of overall reform processes. The tangible results

Increasing efficiency of civil service; Better coordination within the civil service Adoption of the Plan, as a strategic reform document, which defines the main objectives,

principles and directions of further development in next four years;

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The challenges and obstacles that the innovation encountered - Lack of experts and experienced personnel and particularly without sufficient number of educated people, motivated to work in the public administration; and without enough reputation in the society; - Lack of effective political leadership - Weak mechanisms for cross-ministerial coordination; - Lack of capacity for strategy and policy development; rule-oriented, risk-averse administrative culture; - Wide-spread problems of motivation; - Far-reaching politicization; - Strong centralization of decision-making authority; - Shortage of administrative equipment and infrastructure. The innovation is not isolated reform effort it is about the various aspects of the administrative reform and the overall environment which enabled its implementation and modernization 3.11 SYRIA National Number and Automation of the Civil Records Project The Syrian innovation project on the national number is considered one of the pioneering projects in the country in the area of ICT applications. It is designed to create a comprehensive system of demographic and information databank and, as such is the backbone for any real e-government. The projects aim is to transform all traditionally documented records of the Civil Records, into digital form in order to maintain records, as well as to provide citizens with easy services. The Civil Records Project includes automation of the Civil Records Administration and Immigration and Naturalization Administration. The key factor in providing a uniformed access to civil and legal records is to give each citizen a National Number, as an indexed key for all the civil and legal records. What are the main features of this best practice and innovation? The project-innovation was introduced to provide faster, better and easier service delivery. It has been also a base for other projects relating directly to the tasks and undertakings of the Ministry of Interior such as: updating the Syrian passport to adhere to international standards; the new Identification Card; the Electronic Family Record; electronic Finger-Printing processing, and automation and expanding the services of the Immigration and Naturalization Administration. The project-innovation was initiated by the Ministry of Interior, as one of the main tasks. It is a part of the governments measures to introduce ICT in the public service. The project also represents a part of the Presidents support on developing the ICT infrastructure and modernizing the governmental sector. The main characteristics of this project-innovation are:

The project is designed to create a comprehensive information databank; Special training courses were provided in the early stages of the project in the central

administration; The project adheres to and exceeds all international standards which are imperative for up-linking

the project with the National Information Network. The project was developed, implemented and programmed by local expertise only; Each citizen will need only one document of identification (or no document at all) as the National

Number will be the only thing needed to obtain all the services and information he needs;

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The project started in 2002 and it is expected to be completed in 2005, or two years ahead of schedule

The project-innovation enabling environment The usage of the ICT and e-government becomes a necessary tool for Syrian, but also for each countrys development. It is one of the opportunities to increase the productivity in all sectors of the economy, including the public administration. In that regard, the usage of ICT in public administration is also closely related to the achievements in the public administration, as a whole. It is at the same time, an example of the government commitment to implement its programme of development. For the past few years Syria has been engaged in ICT development process, and infrastructure in modernizing the governmental sector as the base of reformation and economic growth. The government took several important steps such as establishing the ICT Ministry, allocating funds and budgets for automation and modernization of the public and governmental sector to accelerate the process of providing E-government services, modernizing regulations and laws slowing or contradicting the distribution and utilization of ICT, establishing IT educational and training institutes, restructuring ministries and redistributing of tasks to streamlining the processes and procedures, launching automation projects such as the automation of tax services and putting the ICT and programming standards by the Ministry of ICT. The project-innovation is a clear evidence of a strong support by the highest levels in the country towards modernization of the public sector. The tangible results of this innovation and the benefited groups A. Tangible results:

The project has exceeded all expectations by entering more than 15 million records and its readiness to be fully utilized for a multitude of purposes;

It provides crucial base for facilitating e-services, especially those requested by citizens, such as filing taxes, obtaining licenses and permits, health services etc.;

Achieved considerable advancements in providing services for citizens by facilitating and easing the process of acquiring, updating and using their Civil Records. All the services relating to the Civil Record is provided from one center and there is no need to travel or to use the postal service to obtain the records;

The innovation will create a comprehensive demographic and population databank. The utilization of the information from the databank exceeds the research and documentation purposes and serves directly in strategic planning of education, health, housing and all aspects of planning for sustainable development;

It will ease the process of issuing and renewing passports in addition to provide fast accurate services for immigrants inside and outside the country. Also, it will advance the service provided at the 23 major border-ports as all of these entry points are links to a unified database. As such, all immigration processes have become faster, more reliable, and friendly.